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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26183818">10 Gifts For A 10 Year Old</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sounddrive/pseuds/Sounddrive'>Sounddrive</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Arcana (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Children, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/F, Gen, Other, Sibling Love, Siblings, Slice of Life, last minute gift shopping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:13:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26183818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sounddrive/pseuds/Sounddrive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Pasha's 10th birthday! Of course, Ilya procrastinated in getting the gift, but he is determined to get SOMETHING for his little sister! Follow Ilya Devorak as he searches for the perfect gift.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Julian Devorak &amp; Lilinka, Julian Devorak &amp; Mazelinka, Lilinka/Mazelinka (The Arcana), Portia Devorak &amp; Lilinka, Portia Devorak &amp; Mazelinka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>10 Gifts For A 10 Year Old</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts">Sumi</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: This year for fieldsofvesuvia, I got Sumi as a giftee! She wanted a piece with Julian and Portia during their childhoods in Nevion, so this is what I delivered!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ilya! I cannot believe you!” Lilinka has her hands on her hips, glaring in exasperation at the teenager before her.<b><br/></b></p><p>“I know . . .” Ilya rubs his neck, face flushed.</p><p><em>“Today,</em> of all days?!”</p><p>
  <em>“I knooooow . . .”</em>
</p><p>“Well,” Lilinka sighs, shaking her head, “you have made your bed, my dear.”</p><p>“I am going to get Pasha her present!” Ilya replies, confident. “It’s the least I could do! She’s turning ten!”</p><p>“Ilya, how in the world have you done this for five years straight?”</p><p>“I still, er, got it on time. She loved each and every one!”</p><p>“Ilya, the party is in three hours.”</p><p>“Pressure makes diamonds, Lilinka!”</p><p>“Famous last words, Ilya,” the old woman replies in kind, laughing softly as he marches out to do just that. Lilinka glances up at the ceiling, shaking her head as she mutters to herself.</p><p>“I wonder how this year is going to turn out . . .”</p><hr/><p>. . . What did ten year olds like, anyway?</p><p>Ilya walks around Nevion, trying to see what was in stock in any and all the shops. To make sure Pasha wouldn’t peep at the decorations, Lilinka had Pasha busy at the spa.</p><p>Ilya had spent an hour roaming without any luck. He ends up in a cafe with outdoor seating. Seeing his distress as the minutes tick by, one of the servers took pity on him. Ilya can only manage a quiet thank you as they hand him a glass of water, on the house.</p><p>The teenager rubs his face, regretting for the umpteenth time for his procrastination. How did he manage to do this <em>five years in a row,</em> indeed! He downs the cup and returns the glass to one of the servers, thanking them.</p><p>Before he could point his shoes in another direction, he spots a wheeled cart not too far from the cafe. A starburst goes off above his head. He immediately rushes over, barely able to correct himself from tripping over his feet in the process.</p><p>
  <b>O*O*O</b>
</p><p>The sign above the cart reads <em>Oddly Shayped Plants and Planters</em>. The signage was promising, so Ilya went to take a gander at the wares.</p><p>It turns out that the owner of the cart was freshly out of the spa. They were clean shaven and, in their words, felt that their spirit was cleansed too.</p><p>“So, what can I do for you young man?” they ask, looking at Ilya with a pleasant demeanor.</p><p>“I’m, uh, browsing for the moment,” Ilya explains, rubbing the side of his neck “I’m not exactly sure what—”</p><p>Before he could continue and explain himself, the salesperson claps a hearty hand over his shoulder. Ilya is more or less directed to a particular ware. The auburn haired teenager wonders for a few moments why it was hidden. That is, until the salesperson pulls the light fabric cover away.</p><p>Given that the salesperson swore up and down they found it in the wild like this, Ilya found himself to be impressed. The teenager was sure it was a cactus. The sight of it however knocks the wind out of his lungs. The cactus itself has an unfortunate limpness of shape and, presumably, of function. The very thought sends Ilya into a red-faced and barely-suppressed bout of teary laughter for five straight minutes.</p><p>Once the older Devorak siblings got himself together, he thanks them, but it’s not what he’s looking for.</p><p>“You see,” he explains, “my sister is turning ten years old, and she is er, quite fond of cats. Are any of these planters feline-shaped, my good fellow?”</p><p>“Oh! I think these fit the ticket,” the salesperson leads Ilya back to two specific crates.</p><p>Ilya peers into these crates, eyebrows shooting up in delight at what he’s seeing. The planters themselves were in the shape of cats. However, the little cacti act as a tall, spindly tail per kitty-shaped planter.</p><p>It was <em>perfect!</em></p><p>“Would it be, er, possible to take the whole lot?” Ilya asks, noting that there were indeed ten of them. Ten kitty-shaped planters for his ten year old, feline-loving sister. It couldn’t be more poetic!</p><p>When the salesperson told him of the price, the teenager almost collapsed from a heart attack. Ilya desperately digs into his pockets, finding he was severely lacking in the coinage the seller accepted.</p><p>“Ah, er—” Ilya wracks his brain for ideas. “Is there anyway you’d, uh, be up for a trade of some sort? Within reason!” There had to be something the vendor could want . . .</p><hr/><p>To say the least, this wasn’t going to be easy. Ilya offered his services in helping to take care of the cart, only to realize time was seriously against him. This left trading . . . hence why Ilya was at this friend’s house.</p><p>“Ilya, are you serious?”</p><p>“Misha, please—!”</p><p>"Why in the world did you promise this stranger <em>my mother's</em> pelmeni?"</p><p>Ilya quickly explains the bind he is in, getting an exasperated look from his friend.</p><p>". . . my god you idiot. Why did you do this again?" Misha sighs.</p><p>“Misha, my friend—”</p><p><em>“Oh here we go . . .”</em> He sets down his woodwork, looking at Ilya.</p><p>“—for the sake of my beloved sister,” Ilya is ready to throw himself at Misha’s feet in order to get further with this, “can you please convince your delightful mother to make it? I’ll compensate by helping you haul in the next order of wood for a week!”</p><p>“The next <em>three </em>orders and we’ll call it even.”</p><p>“Done!” Ilya declares in turn. The two immediately sign a little contract, so Ilya wouldn’t forget.</p><p>Nothing else could go wrong, right?</p><hr/><p>The two of them had to run over to Yeva’s house. Her family had recently come into a good amount of lamb, of which they needed for the pelmeni.</p><p>“. . . are you serious?” Yeva stares at the two before her, hands on her hips.</p><p>“Ask him Yev; I’m just here for the show,” Misha grins devilishly. Ilya looks over to him with an expression of devastated betrayal.</p><p>“Misha!”</p><p>“Ilya,” Misha replies in kind, a smarmy smile on his face.</p><p>Yeva pinches the bridge of her nose, exhaling heavily. “Ilya, you owe me big if you need that much.”</p><p>“What would you have me do?”</p><p>“Help me clean out the stables for two weeks—”</p><p>“Hey he owes me too; we should coordinate dates and times,” Misha pipes up.</p><p>“Ah, so that’s how you got into this mess,” Yeva nods, laughing.</p><p>“Some friends you are,” Ilya dramatically falls over, being caught by Misha. “Leaving me wounded!”</p><p>“Oh shut up, man,” Yeva throws a nearby rag at him. “C’mon, or else your little sister will disown you!”</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Fifteen minutes after the party started . . .</em>
</p><p>“Should this just about do it? I also told the barkeep to get you a flagon of ale,” Ilya rambles, handing the plate of pelmeni to the cactus seller. “Now, uh, about those planters?”</p><p>“Well, let me taste this first,” the cactus seller grumps. “Then I’ll see about it . . .”</p><p>Lucky for Ilya, Misha’s pelmeni was just the ticket for the vendor. The auburn-haired teen fumbled in getting the key from the other to grab the kitten planters.</p><p>“You don’t have any wrapping paper, do you?”</p><p>“I ran out yesterday. Sorry kid.”</p><p>
  <em>. . . DAMN IT.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Ilya had barely hidden the cacti in his closet when Pasha trots into his doorway.</p><p>“Ilya! Hurry up!” she huffs. “It’s almost time for the presents and you were super late to greet the guests!”</p><p>“I’ll be out there soon, Pasha!” Ilya dips down to kiss her forehead. “I just need to finish up a few more things.”</p><p>Pasha giggles upon receiving the affectionate peck. Sufficiently placated, she turns around to rejoin the party. As she does, Mazelinka and Lilinka come down the hallway. Maz knocks on the door frame as Ilya carefully pulls out the ten planters.</p><p>“You haven’t wrapped them!” Lilinka exclaims.</p><p>“AH!” Ilya jumps, whipping around to face his grandmothers. “Oh! Lilinka! Maz! I will very promptly, I just, uhhhh . . .”</p><p>“No wrapping to be found, eh Illyushka?” Mazelinka chuckles, giving him a grin.</p><p>“Not . . . <em>exactly?”</em> He quickly explains that Sasha, one of the guests arriving to the party, was going to provide it what they had leftover for him.</p><p>“What do you owe them?” Lilinka exhales, deadpan.</p><p>“ . . . some soup?”</p><p>“Soup?” Lilinka grimaces. “Ilya, with you cooking you may as well poison the child!”</p><p>
  <em>“L i l i n k a . . .”</em>
</p><p>“Boy, I’ll help you later,” Mazelinka places a soothing hand on Lilinka’s shoulder. She looks down the hall, seeing a teenager about Ilya’s age coming down with a roll of wrapping paper.</p><p>“I think that’s your savior,” Mazelinka laughs, moving aside to let Ilya’s friend in.</p><p>“Ah, Sasha—”</p><p>“ILYA DEVORAK THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM HELPING YOU LAST MINUTE! I WAS ALREADY HALFWAY HERE AND <em>YOU</em> HAD THE <em>GALL </em>TO—!”</p><p>Mazelinka and Lilinka quickly shut the door behind them, returning to the party.</p><p>Another fifteen minutes later, Ilya and Sasha finally join the festivities. They were right on time for the gift exchanges.</p><p>Ilya was to go last, because he was late and it’d be rude to cut in front of everyone else’s lovely gifts.</p><p>As each present was opened, <em>oohed </em>and <em>ahhed </em>over, Ilya’s anxiety only grew.</p><p>“Do you think she’ll like them?” Ilya murmurs quietly to Sasha. “What if she hurts herself on the needles!”</p><p>“She’ll be fine!” Sasha hushes, soon the bearer of the brunt of Ilya clinging onto them as Pasha carefully opens the first planter.</p><p>There was extra wrapping carefully placed over the cacti, so the first to be revealed were the ceramic kitty planters. Ilya only started breathing again once his little sister squealed in delight, soon quickly unwrapping the rest of the lot from Ilya.</p><p>Sasha playfully punches Ilya in the shoulder, laughing with the others as Pasha rushes over to hug her brother. Ilya returns the gesture with gusto, swinging her around in her arms before returning her to the head of the table, soon rushing to help the grandmothers get food out to everyone.</p><p>That night, ten little cactus planters were lined up in Pasha’s windowsill. Just like the person they were gifted to, the planters share a cat-like smile, eyes full of mischief energy.</p>
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